FC Cincinnati face tough task with visit from surging Inter Miami

After letting a two-goal lead slip away against the Columbus Crew in a 4-2 loss, FC Cincinnati aim to bounce back at home against Inter Miami on Wednesday night.

Cincinnati (13-6-3, 42 points) dropped to second place in the Eastern Conference with its loss Saturday night, but it is only one point back of first-place Philadelphia.

There's also good news for FC Cincinnati in that defender Nick Hagglund is back after missing the previous month and a half with broken ribs.

"He's back," FC Cincinnati coach Pat Noonan said. "He's been around enough, even with his absence with the injury on the field, but he's been present and his energy, his leadership, has been felt the entire period of time that he's not able to be on the field with his teammates."

A bright spot for Cincinnati on Saturday was All-Star midfielder Evander scoring his 13th goal of the MLS regular season. He's tied for third in the league in goals scored.

One of the two players with more, however, is Miami and international superstar Lionel Messi, who has 16 goals in regular-season competition.

Inter Miami (11-3-5, 38 points) have flourished since Messi joined them in the 2023 season, winning the Supporters' Shield in 2024; they currently sit in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Messi scored both Miami goals in a 2-1 home win against Nashville SC on Saturday night, the Herons' fifth straight win in regular-season play. They haven't lost a league game since May 18.

"There aren't very many words. It's incredible what he continues to do," Miami coach Javier Mascherano said. "To break great records now every three days, I've said it a thousand times today; he is the flag for our team. He is the one. He's the leader. He shows us the way to compete."

Wednesday will be the first of two matches in 11 days between Cincinnati and Miami, with the second one set for July 26 in South Florida.

--Field Level Media